OUR CONNECTION WITH THE LORD

February 7, 2024

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:4-5 NASB 1995

1. THE CONNECTION HAS BEEN RESTORED. When Adam and Eve fell, there was separation, alienation, and brokenness. Humanity was like Humpty Dumpty – “All the king’s horses and all the king’s men couldn’t put Humpty together again.” When Jesus came as a substitute to take upon Himself the sins of the world, He singularly pulled things back together that had fallen apart. Where Adam and Eve forfeited connection, Jesus came in and brought reconciliation. He is the redeemer. 
 
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. John 15:1-3 
 
2. THE CONNECTION PRODUCES FRUIT. Where there is a loss of connection, there is deadness in our lives, and we become fruitless. But when we stay connected with God, He keeps us pruned and fruitful because the Father is the vinedresser, and He is really good at it. Let’s commit to starting our days with the Lord. Get in the Bible, pray, and if you catch yourself going on autopilot, take a moment and reset. If you are driving in your car, turn off the radio. Begin to acknowledge God and offer up praise or something you are grateful for; quote a scripture. Get your focus on Him. You will see amazing fruitfulness come through that connection.
 
3. CARRY THE CONNECTION. Staying connected to the Lord is true Christianity. It’s following Jesus. It’s acknowledging Him. It’s realizing our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Christ in you is the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Carry that connection in the grocery store, into your household. Carry that through your problems, through your work. Carry that in your outlook every day this year, and you will have breakthrough and joy.

Press on,
Pastor Jeff Perry

PRAY THIS PRAYER: 
Lord, I connect with You right now. Thank You for putting me back together again and restoring what was lost. I know that my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Help me to walk with You closely today. Help me to carry that connection to all my relationships. I acknowledge You in all I do. I love You. Because I am abiding in You, I bear much fruit in Jesus’ name, amen! (1 Corinthians 6:19; John 15:4-5)

a·bide, verb
To wait in expectation or before proceeding. To be or remain stable or fixed in some state or constant in some relationship: continue. 

^{Copyright © 2024 St. Louis Family Church, All rights reserved. No part of this article may be reprinted or distributed in any form without prior written permission of St. Louis Family Church. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. “Abide, V.” Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, C. & G. Merriam CO., 1971, p. 3.}